Modi summoned on riots, Congress wants him to go

By IANS,

Gandhinagar/New Delhi: The 2002 Gujarat riots returned to haunt Chief Minister Narendra Modi Thursday when a Supreme Court-appointed investigation team summoned him for questioning March 21 over his alleged complicity in the anti-Muslim violence that rocked the state, particularly in the death of Congress MP Ehsan Jaffri.

According to Special Investigation Team (SIT) chief R.K. Raghavan, Modi was being summoned in connection with a Supreme Court order of April 27 last year on a petition filed by his wife Zakia Jaffri. Zaffri was killed during the rioting at Gulberg society in Ahmedabad.

Zakia's petition related to the "wider conspiracy" surrounding the 2002 communal riots and named Narendra Modi. The petition was referred by the Supreme Court bench to the SIT with directions to look into it.

In her petition, Zakia says Modi, along with other ministers in his government, conspired to "allow the massacre of Muslims". She has alleged that the chief minister and his colleagues instructed policemen and bureaucrats not to respond to pleas for help from Muslims being attacked during the riots.

Raghavan said that the chief minister had been summoned to ask him some questions. "A number of witnesses have been questioned, and we would want him to give his side of the story," he added.

After the questioning of the chief minister, the SIT is expected to submit its report to the Supreme Court by the end of next month.

Zakia has named Modi and 62 others in her complaint. Over 1,000 people had perished in the state-wide communal riots that followed the Godhra train carnage on Feb 27, 2002.

The Supreme Court bench comprising justice Arijit Pasayat and A.K. Ganguly had directed the SIT to submit a report within three months after inquiring into Zakia's complaint. Jaffri's wife had first made the complaint against Modi in June 2006, on which the state government refused to register an FIR.

The SIT summons led the Congress to demand that Modi should step down as the chief minister.

Congress spokesman Manish Tewari said in New Delhi: "What has happened today should have actually happened many, many years ago. A chief minister of Gujarat and his government presided over the worst massacre of minorities that independent India has witnessed in the last 62 years.

"It is perhaps for the first time that a sitting chief minister has been summoned to appear before a SIT on mass murder. It would be appropriate that he should step down before appearing before the SIT."

But Tewari quickly added that "it would be too much to expect" from Modi to do so.

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If a few questions by police need resignation........

Mr Modi has been summoned to give evidence as witness and not as accused because Muslims have made allegations against him in SIT. If some prostitute goes to police station and says that any minister had hired her services and when payment was sought the minister physically assaulted her "breaking her hand" should the minister resign if police asks a few questions from the MINISTER.

If Mr MODI resigns then every minister in GUJARAT can be made to quit by the Muslims taking the name of each one of them and then SIT calling them for questioning. Then Muslims can start with Central Govt by making statements against each of the present ministers who were part of the PVN Govt including the present PM for the Ayodya riots. Thus the entire country will be in chaos like Pakistan and that is what the Muslims want.

Pehley CHOORI oopar sey SEENA-ZOORI

The correct procedure to appear before court panel, for any elected official is to FIRST STEP DOWN and then appear before court hearing.

This is not just for Naari-Hatyakaari Modi - but for any elected official in India.

Commit a crime, get elected - hold a public-post and enjoy immunity. This needs to be changed, if peace is to prevail, which may STOP politicians from COMMITING or BECOMING an ACCOMPLICE to CRIME.

If Naari-Hatyakaari Modi, resists to attend court and face questioning by SIT i.r.o. involvement in 2002 Godhra Riots (while he was a CM of Gujarat) - amounts to: Pehley CHOORI oopar sey SEENA-ZOORI.

His resistance to EITHER step-down, OR resistance to face questioning reveals his involvement - and we know his hands are TAINTED with BLOOD of INNOCENT Gujaratis (women and children included).

An Indian

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